Job Description
The Microbiology Department at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital has a vacancy for a Medical Laboratory Assistant to work in all sections of the laboratory, including the COVID testing laboratory.
The successful candidate must have qualifications equivalent to Maths, English and Science at GCSE, and must be able to demonstrate a good degree of numeracy and attention-to-detail at interview.
The work involves clinical sample processing coupled with some computer data-entry. Full work-based training will be given.
We are looking for an enthusiastic person with good keyboard skills who would enjoy the challenge of working in a busy laboratory. Previous experience of working in a Microbiology laboratory environment would be an advantage, but is not essential.
The successful candidate will be reliable, enthusiastic, motivated and forward thinking. They will demonstrate good interpersonal skills and must be a team player. Candidates should ideally have experience of working in an NHS clinical laboratory.
Medical Laboratory Assistants support the registered Biomedical Scientists who perform tests on urine, swabs, faeces, sputa and other body fluids and tissues to aid the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease. The work is varied and involves general clinical sample processing, together with some computer data-entry. We are looking for someone with good keyboard skills and an interest in laboratory work.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest employer in the county and with over 8,000 staff, we are one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK. We offer a generous annual leave allowance, excellent bank rates, access to the excellent NHS Pension Scheme, discounts for local shops, restaurants and services, access to our health and well-being hub, access to our two on-site nurseries, flexible working options, discounted public transport, reward and recognition schemes, exercise and activity classes and membership to our popular hospital choir.
The Department of Microbiology is based on the GRH hospital site in Gloucester. The laboratory provides an extensive service to the two hospitals and GP surgeries in Gloucestershire. The laboratory has a staff team of about 60 people, including scientific and medical roles. The core working hours are 0830 to 1700, Monday to Friday, but all staff help provide the services outside core hours. This includes weekend and Bank Holiday working.
The department has a long history of training and developing staff in different roles. It is approved as a training laboratory by the Institute of Biomedical Science, and has been accredited by UKAS to the ISO15189 standards.
Main Duties
Data Entry:
- Accurate and timely data entry of patient registration and details of all specimens received in the laboratory, using the laboratory computer system.
- Dealing in a polite manner with telephone enquiries and relaying laboratory results to users of the service.
- Taking phone calls from other collaborating laboratories with urgent results and passing on to the appropriate person.
- Working on the laboratory Reception Bench unpacking, sorting and labelling samples for microbiological analysis.
- Participate in Weekend and Bank Holidays rotas. During this time you may be working alone, but with other laboratory staff available for queries.
- Sorting and archiving processed reports in a timely manner.
Technical:
- Understanding and adherence to laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs), including safety.
- Maintaining work standards required for ISO15189 accreditation.
- Ability to prioritise work, taking into account workload and urgency.
- Using knowledge to determine the relevant tests to be carried out on samples received in the section. Safe handling of high risk samples and dealing with leaking/damaged, mislabelled or mislaid samples.
- Separation of samples within Pathology specimen reception, unpacking and checking of specimens and request form details.
- Routine processing of samples which may contain pathogenic micro-organisms. This will include choice and inoculation of appropriate media for primary inoculation of specimens, pipetting where applicable, plus the selection of appropriate temperature and atmospheres for incubation as indicated by specimen type.
- Have a basic knowledge of routine laboratory equipment. Duties to include operation, monitoring, care and maintenance.
- Cleaning work areas.
- Involved in the effective use, stock control, maintenance of adequate stock levels of consumables and reagents and unpacking of deliveries. Be aware of costs of items and the need to minimise wastage.
- Preparation of reagents and other consumables for use in the laboratory.
- Participation in internal quality control.
- Collecting waste materials, including items in the Containment Level 3 facility, ready for safe discard.
- Packaging, recording and sending samples and cultures to other laboratories.
Specialised Techniques:
- Processing environmental and infection control samples, processing samples for viral and bacterial infections, using specialised PCR technology.
- Unpacking and labelling samples for SARS-CoV2 testing.
- Preparing clinical samples for the presence of SARS-CoV2 infection.
- Undertaking regular stock checks for reagents and consumables required for SARS-CoV2 testing.